Cooperation and competition: a GIS pilot study of Taichung’s district Bookstart programme

Abstract

Policy innovation and diffusion are vital for ensuring the well-being of the general public by providing the services they need. Cooperation and competition between jurisdictions are seen as important mechanisms for the diffusion of innovation. This study examines cooperation and competition in the innovation diffusion process and presents a case study of the Bookstart programme in the libraries of Taichung County, Taiwan. Using a geographic information system (GIS), it examines whether cooperation and competition are spatially dependent. The findings demonstrate that the level of cooperation is not autocorrelated with neighbouring districts, and that there are limited examples of competition. We argue the case for the use of GIS in studies of policy diffusion.